Dim by Light, Bright by Dark
by MistyWing
Summary: A tale that takes place in ancient Egypt, when Yami fights against the greatest evils.
1. Chapter 1: The Vision

This fanfic takes place in ancient Egypt.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Gi Oh! or any of the characters in the show. Yu Gi Oh and   
  
its characters are the property of their respective owners. I am as always only borrowing   
  
these wonderful characters. I will also be adding new characters!  
  
Dim by Light, Bright by Dark  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The greenest grass grew, the slyest cats were raised, and a supreme power unstoppable ruled once upon a time. The greatest sorcerers were born and raised in the heart of this land. Yet less and less people came and more and more fled in fear of the extremities that it wreaked. Yes, Egypt at its height scared all and sundry.   
  
Further into the land was where the pharaohs who ruled lived. They did not call it a palace because it was better than even that. It's walls said to be fifty feet thick, so that even the most well equipped army could not breach it, was built by the first pharaoh of Egypt. And what held the structure together was an unknown magic, not even the present Pharaoh-the greatest in over ten thousand years-knew about. Nevertheless, deep within the halls of the greatest structure in Egypt lived the greatest Pharaoh to ever reign.   
  
Yami strode down the ancient hall of stone tablets guided only by the dim torches that floated in the air. This hall's walls were covered in stone tablets carved with the monsters of another realm. From these tablets, each standing one hundred feet high and forty feet wide, Yami could summon any monster he pleased with just a short command. His bare feet padded the cold, dank stones of the floor as he listened to the spirits of the monsters in the tablets. The light padding only stopped when Yami halted to stand before his greatest warrior, the Dark Magician. Now he heard the Dark Magician's voice above all others, "Master, you must rest."  
  
Yami looked away. "I cannot."  
  
The vision appeared to his surrounding the second time this day. He found himself walking into his past as if it were again happening. A younger Yami stood beside a taller figure whose back was turned away from him. The present Yami stood beside the soft cushions where lay the sick pharaoh of the past, his father. Younger Yami moved from his place to crouch before the former pharaoh whose life was decaying from old age.  
  
"Yami, my youngest child, you must rule wisely." Young Yami nodded as a tear found its way. Still, the figure who had his back turned against Yami and the old pharaoh did not speak.  
  
"Tell Seto that..." The old pharaoh coughed uncontrollably.  
  
"Seto! Do you have nothing to say to our dying father?" Yami turned to the figure who still stood there unmoved.  
  
"I am supposed to be pharaoh," Seto mumbled. "I will be pharaoh. No one will stop me. I will be pharaoh. I will be pharaoh. I will be pharaoh..."  
  
"Seto!"  
  
Suddenly the picture dimmed and present Yami was hurled across space again. Yami felt like his whole body was being thrust against glass, and the force easily shattered it. He had no control as a second part of the vision swayed his sight.   
  
Seto was walking across the dessert, his robes billowing in the air. The dust rose and swirled around him. Young Yami stood right beside Yami, his eyes incomprehensible. Yami remembered this day as clearly as he remembered the vision from before. As he watched the scene with his past self his emotions whirled. The image of Seto walking away disappeared as the wind took him away.  
  
"My Pharaoh!"  
  
Yami this time thrust himself out of the vision finding him-self standing face to face with the tablet of the Dark Magician. He turned to look at who had addressed him.   
  
"My Pharaoh." The woman said again, out of breath.  
  
"Ishizu?"  
  
"Pharaoh, Seto is back."  
  
"It's been three years... He is back?"  
  
"His company does not look so affable." Ishizu added quickly.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"They have stormed Egypt, and killed countless thousands."  
  
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Well, how was that? Review, just no flames please. I delete all flames anyway. 


	2. Chapter 2: Seto Strikes Back

Dim by Light, Bright by Dark  
  
Chapter 2: Seto Strikes Back  
  
A dark film descended upon Egypt. A great fire rose and roared at the nation as it swept through the houses and its inhabitants. Men and women adorned in dark cloaks walked in a horizontal line followed by great creatures. These magnificent beasts stunned and blasted the terrified civilians. Seto, who stood at the center of the aligned sorcerers shouted, "Let him hear you! The curse!"  
  
The cloaked figures trampled over the grass and raised their heads in unanimity, there eyes still veiled by a shadow. Together they chanted in unison, "In this faithful hour, Seto will come to power. In this faithful hour Seto will consume and devour, Seto will come to power. All hail our Pharaoh, Seto." Their hollow voices held no emotion.  
  
Seto broke from the line, laughing. An angry man stepped out of the fires with a scythe and dove to kill him. Seto caught the weapon with a hand as he glowered at the man who had dared attack him. "You fool, you shall now die." With a swift yank he took the scythe out of the man's grasp. Then he pushed the helpless man to the ground. Raising the scythe he called upon Saggi the Dark Clown. The man looked up at the immense creature in fear as it towered over him. Seto's dark eyes gleamed with hunger, rage, and vehemence. Suddenly the sound of hoof beats shook the earth and a huge knight soar through the sky. With his lance, Gaia the Fierce Knight shattered Saggi.   
  
Seto, eyes wide, looked about him. Just to the right of his vision the shadow of Yami wavered behind the flames. The pharaoh stepped out of the fire as if it were just air that he walked through. Slowly Seto's face twisted in a grim smile. "Brother I have been expecting you."  
  
"What do you want?" The pharaoh questioned his voice slow with menace.  
  
Seto laughed. "I want to rule. I want you to roam the world half dead like I did."  
  
"Stop this now, Seto, before anyone else gets hurt."  
  
"Now why would I do that when my main objective is to hurt?"  
  
Yami gave him a fixed stare as he spoke in a calm voice. "There will be nothing left for you to rule if you destroy it all!"  
  
"You, foolish boy, that's the point. I plan on wiping out the entire race only leaving my most trusted followers alive." Seto waved towards the cloaked people who still did not move.  
  
"You are not my brother. You are corrupted and I must bring you back to your senses."  
  
"Yami, corrupted is the worst word to describe what I've been through. I would be dead right now if it weren't for these sorcerers."  
  
"I want you and your team to leave this country at once!" Yami commanded.  
  
Seto turned to his fellow companions and spoke in a booming voice. "Do you hear? This pharaoh is once again banishing us from our rightful home. Are we going to stand here and allow him to do this?"  
  
Slowly each person in the procession shook his or her head. Immediately the creatures that stood beside them sprung up and surrounded Yami.   
  
Stepping backwards, Yami shouted at Seto. "Do not do this, Seto."  
  
"See, little brother, I am not making them do what they are about to do to you. They are doing as they wish of their own free will."  
  
The monsters began to close in on him as he heard Seto speak.   
  
"Pharaoh!" he heard many voices yell out. Yami looked up as he saw one by one each monster shattering to pieces. New monsters now stood in front of him in protective stances. Now, he saw two of his most faithful subjects running up to him.  
  
"Ishizu, Marik!"   
  
Just at their tails about another dozen sorcerers rushed to his aid. Seto shook in rage at the sight of them. "So little Yami still needs help..."  
  
Yami turned to Seto, "You are no different, brother. If you wanted to kill me so badly you should have done it yourself, instead of hiding behind your cronies."  
  
"Are you calling me a coward?"  
  
"In a sense, yes."  
  
Seto roared with laughter at this. Yami, however, continued to speak. "It's a cowardly act to bring sorcerers to do the dirty work for you when you yourself is a prominent sorcerer and the former pharaoh's son."  
  
Now, Seto's face turned to a shade of darkness. "Ha! The only coward here is the present pharaoh. You are just as great a coward as our forefathers."  
  
"What?" Yami gave Seto a confused face.  
  
"Great sorcerers were exiled from Egypt long ago by our pathetic forefathers. The past pharaohs were afraid of how strangely strong their magic was-stronger than the pharaohs themselves-in the kingdom. They could not stand knowing that there were greater wizards out there and therefore banished them all to the furious dessert. These, that now follow me, are the descendants of those great sorcerers. And I plan on giving them a home here once again!"  
  
"The Wicked sorcerers of our past," the pharaoh murmured as he remembered the tales that his father had told him.  
  
"You see? You judge them before you know them! You are the villain here, Yami!"  
  
Yami took a small step forward. "You are hanging with the wrong circle, Seto. Come back to us."  
  
"Are you out of your mind?" Seto laughed his howl of laughter again.  
  
"These men were ostracized because they committed a crime unforgivable. They killed innocent lives! They were not even banished, they were left to die because they had went against their country. They killed their own people!" Yami countered.  
  
"Maybe, but they killed to gain something that belonged to them. Our forefathers neglected their wantings." Seto growled. "And now their children are here to destroy and rebuild what is rightfully ours."  
  
Yami stared at his brother in utter silence. He could not believe his own ears. Seto would stop at nothing until all of Egypt was destroyed. He had to be stopped!  
  
Seto pushed into his thoughts once again, "Well, brother who is the coward now? I was actually hoping for a better fight, but it seems that your subjects have grown plump with laziness, am I not right? I've left you at peace for so long that the magic in their blood runs cold."  
  
The crowd that stood behind Yami grumbled dark curses at Seto. Yami raised his hand slowly and they all stopped their noises instantly.  
  
"No one is a coward-"  
  
"Yami, you are still as soft as you look!" Seto hooted.  
  
"No one is a coward if they are willing to face each other in combat rather than slaughtering turned backs."  
  
"Is that a challenge?"  
  
"Are you afraid, Seto? Because if in any case you are you better turn back."  
  
Seto snickered, "You foolish boy, this will be the biggest mistake you ever made in your life."  
  
A|N:: About the new character thing, I think that there's only going to be one new guy mentioned in this tale and he's going to be the one who possesses the Millennium Scale. Unfortunately, he will only be mentioned once, due to the fact that he's kind of insignificant to the whole "betrayal theme." But at least I'm going to name him, unlike all those other sorcerers who are subjects to Yami. Or maybe I shall give some of them names, too...  
  
Till next time, minna.  
  
-Misty Wing 


	3. Chapter 3: The Beginning of War

Dim by Light, Bright by Dark  
  
Chapter 3: The Beginning of War  
  
The hot sun shined at the two people who stood facing each other. One was dressed in his usual black robe with his hood shadowing his face. Behind him stood an army of sorcerers. They chanted the same curse in unison: "In this faithful hour, Seto will come to power. In this faithful hour Seto will consume and devour, Seto will come to power. All hail our Pharaoh, Seto."  
  
On the opposite side of Seto is Yami. In contrast to Seto, he wore a white robe that shown a strange fire in all the eyes of the beholder. Behind Yami were his loyal sorcerers. At the head of them were Ishizu and Marik. They were humming a prayer in the ancient tongue. It was the foil to the Wicked Sorcerers' chant. The prayer rose up with the dust and it released a calm and peace that a curse could never bring.  
  
Mad laughter came from Seto. Yami watched his brother grimly.   
  
"You do know this is a life and death situation, my dear brother? The winner lives and the loser dies," Seto said. Yami remained serene and did not move.  
  
"I will not lose," Seto shouted nearly losing control at his brother's emotionless face. "Especially, not to a weak childish Pharaoh!"  
  
"I cannot let you win," Yami mumbled.  
  
"Speak up, Yami! We can't hear you!"  
  
"Hear this, Seto. I will not let you win… You will not control these people. You will not take my place. I will not die."  
  
"Is that fear in your eyes, Yami?"  
  
Yami looked up at Seto through clear eyes revealing a mixture of emotions, poignant, and scared. He spoke calmly, "I cannot deny it. You scare me for what you have become. I worry that even if I beat you there will be others who will take your place. I cannot stop this evil from happening, but I will do all I can to delay the inevitable. So… If you do not mind, I would like to get this over with."  
  
"Preaching again are you Yami?"  
  
"It is no use now," Yami muttered as he briefly closed his eyes.  
  
"You are absolutely right, little Yami. That is why you should forfeit everything to me."  
  
Yami allowed the smallest smirk to reach his face. Angry, Seto shouted, "Stop smiling! Make your move already."  
  
"Alright. Celtic Guardian, come out." Yami placed his hand in the air; palm face up and Celtic Guardian appeared out of thin air.  
  
"I summon La Jinn." The genie wriggled out of the floor and floated into the air, a foreboding aura surrounding it. "Attack Celtic Guardian."  
  
The blast rang through the atmosphere as the force of it caused Yami to cringe a bit.  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" Seto laughed. "I can't believe you, Yami! I thought you were here to put an end to my evil or at the least try. Instead you summon that weak guardian of yours. And you call yourself a pharaoh!"  
  
"Celtic guardian is only a starter. I am only being fair to you because I feel that you are not dueling with a full mind. Your head is shrouded in a dark cloud of greed and power. You can't even tell what I plan on doing to you, Seto."  
  
Seto's face twisted in a villainous grin.   
  
"Alright, I summon the Curse of Dragon to wipe out La Jinn."   
  
As Yami stood there a great gust swept his robe up and the dragon shot out of the sky behind him. It let out a piercing screech. La Jinn cowardly retreated back into the ground. A dust came up, hiding the floating Curse of Dragon. Yami shielded his eyes from the whirling sand with his long sleeve. As the dust settled again Yami looked up. Was that yet another smile Seto was showing off?  
  
"I thank you so much, Yami… Curse of Dragon is stronger than I remembered. You must have treated him well…"  
  
"I treat all of them as equals. They are all strong."  
  
"No, no, no, I don't want to hear you say this again. We both have our own ways to power up our monsters. I never believed in all that heart-in-the-monster-trash. How can you keep order and power if you treat these creatures like human beings? Ha! They will someday turn against you. And that is what makes you weak."  
  
Yami shook his head. "You always thought I was weaker. Even as a child you bossed me around and told me how to treat my monsters. But did you know that when you left I went on pursuit of a much better way in magic. I have created a bond with these monsters that are now my friends. Now, I stand before you, a stronger and wiser man than my age shows…"  
  
"Hm, I see. Why, then are your monsters so slow? La Jinn retreated before Curse of Dragon could touch him."  
  
"At least my Celtic Guardian did not run away. He stood ground and accepted his fate."  
  
"As you will too," said Seto.  
  
"Celtic Guardian is not gone. He will be back. As for me, I will stay standing and if I shall ever fall I will get back up until I have breathed my last breath," Yami said.  
  
"That is touching, standing up for your monsters, but you will soon learn that babying them will only lead to your downfall."   
  
Seto flicked his wrists.   
  
"What are you summoning?" Yami asked.  
  
He heard a sudden roar from afar. "What is that?"  
  
Yami stole a glance at the sun. Was that a white spark in the clouds?  
  
"Blue Eyes White Dragon, come forth and do my bidding!" The dragon landed with a thud. It flexed its wings and released a second roar. "Yami, do you know what this is? This is my strongest monster, and it will be the end of you now that it is here. I know you have no monster stronger than this."  
  
Yami bowed his head, a sign that Seto thought meant he admitted defeat. Nonetheless, Yami surprised him when his head snapped back. He laughed lightly, a deep rumble, passing through the crowd. People stared at him in shock, as if he had gone mad.  
  
"How do you know that I don't have anything stronger than the Blue Eyes? You have been away for so long."  
  
"Impossible! Only thing stronger are the Gods in the vault!"  
  
Yami glowered at his brother for saying that. "I would never devastate the planet just to defeat you! And for you to even have the sense to suggest such a thing is implausible! I would be betraying my ancestors, and above all myself!"  
  
Seto seemed to relax a bit. "Oh, of course… Yes, you haven't the nerve to release them, let alone even control them. Ha! What was I thinking? Pardon me for that mistake. So what is it you have in mind?" Seto said mockingly.  
  
"Have you forgotten? There is one more monster strong enough to vanquish Blue Eyes."  
  
"No, Yami, enlighten me. What can ever be stronger than my dragon other than the Gods?"  
  
"The Forbidden One," Yami said in a light voice.  
  
"But you can't! That's not possible! You never learned to control your monsters! The probability… one out of a thousand. You can't!"  
  
"I can." Yami Pushed his sleeves back focusing his eyes on the floor in front of the white dragon.   
  
The Dark Magician's spirit, seen only by Yami, spoke, "Master, be careful." He floated just above the pharaoh's head.   
  
Pale Seto watched his brother's face with intensity. He was cursing for not training hard enough to summon The Forbidden One before his younger brother, a child, did. Still there was no proof that Yami could do it. Yami stood there, his pupils turned suddenly black. His arms were relaxed by his side and his black eyes stared blankly at the sand in front of Blue Eyes. He did not move. It was almost as if he were frozen to the spot, his mind just wasn't there anymore.  
  
Seto bellowed, "I knew it. You are delaying!" Turning his head slightly towards blue eyes he commanded, "Attack the Curse of Dragon, and prepare to end this; white lightning!"  
  
The Curse of Dragon let out a final screech that shattered in the air as its body dissipated. Yami did not budge at all. "It's over! You lose!" Seto pointed at him his eyes flaming in delight.  
  
"Pharaoh!" Ishizu shouted.  
  
Almost as if he had come back from a dream, Yami lifted his black eyes to meet Seto's. Seto was alarmed to see that Yami's eyes showed no gleam as it did in his early years. The violet eyes with flecks of red were now gone. In place, was a stare of nothingness, and… the Shadow Realm?  
  
"Pharaoh, summon Exodia, now!" Ishizu encouraged.  
  
Yami clenched his fists, bent his knees slightly and cried out. His cry was filled with pain, almost as if summoning Exodia was eating him away. The ground was trembling as Exodia's chained body broke through the floor. Yami's cry grew louder and louder as the silent creature made its lingering way pass the earth.  
  
The cry reverberated, but almost immediately Yami's voice shouted over it. "Exodia, obliterate!"  
  
There was a sound of rattling chains as Exodia raised its arms, collecting energy in the palms of its hands. The ball of light blinked and grew in size over time as Seto watched, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets. The duel was truly over. And before he could scream the force of the blast pushed him down. He blacked out and did not see the sorcerers anymore.  
  
Miraculously, a blazing white light took over his dark vision. He looked up from his position on the ground and saw the wavering shadow of Yami.  
  
"It's over, Seto."  
  
"No! Please!"  
  
"Seto, I must."  
  
"No! I will go far away! I will never come back again, you have my word!"  
  
"Your word is not enough. You have betrayed us all and I cannot trust you anymore."  
  
"Then what will you do?"  
  
"You are now eternally exiled. You had rejected yourself before father or I could disown you. I cannot allow you running around the world with the knowledge that a long time ago you were the brother of the pharaoh. Therefore, I will be rid of your memories of your past, of today, and of me."   
  
To be continued… 


	4. Chapter 4: Double Trouble

Dim by Light, Bright by Dark  
  
Chapter 4: Double Trouble  
  
Yami stood in a damp chamber with a single door. This door was six feet wide and twelve feet high. Only with the strength of a dozen men would the door budge. He eyed the door menacingly. Ishizu and Marik stood a few paces behind the pharaoh, both aware of his raging thoughts.  
  
"Pharaoh, what are you thinking about?" Ishizu asked.  
  
"The Gods. I forgot how powerful they are."  
  
"And what is your plan for them?" Ishizu continued smoothly.  
  
"They must be destroyed…"  
  
"The Gods cannot be destroyed!" Marik shouted in outrage.  
  
"Yes, but I can destroy their images, so that they can never be summoned," Yami said.  
  
"But what of them? I thought you believed that all creatures, living should remain that way. Wouldn't destroying the Gods be the same as destroying any other monster? What difference does it make? You're still taking lives away. It goes against your beliefs, my pharaoh." Marik said in a calm voice.  
  
Yami sighed. "You are right… I cannot do that."  
  
"Then what will you do?" Ishizu questioned.  
  
"You know already, Seer," Yami said in a low tone. "Heighten security around here. If a single man approaches the vault make sure he is locked up…"  
  
Yami moved to walk away, but Ishizu stopped him. "And?"  
  
Yami looked at her, "Make sure I know everything that is going on. Anything out of the ordinary you tell me. Do you understand?"  
  
Ishizu bowed her head slightly. "Yes, Pharaoh."  
  
Once Yami disappeared from sight Ishizu turned to her brother who was staring at the door with an evil gleam in his eye. "Marik!"  
  
Marik turned his gaze away from the door, and directed it at his sister. "Yes, Sister?"  
  
"What are you thinking?"  
  
"Why, you should know, Sister. You are a seer after all. You see pass our present."  
  
Ishizu's eyes softened. "My little brother, know that I am here for you. Please get rid of those strange obsessions. You will only be punished as Seto was."  
  
"That's the least of my worries… So how long did it take you to figure out my so called 'obsession?'" he asked with a wild grin on his face.  
  
"I sensed it for quite some time, now."  
  
"Then, what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"I-I… don't know."  
  
"Ha! Are you going to be loyal to your brother or to some pharaoh?" Marik walked in the direction Yami had left by. Stealing one last glance at his sister he said, "Oh, and if you stand in my way, I'll run you over."  
  
Ishizu looked at the haughty back of her brother, her eyebrows drawn in a frown. There and then she made up her mind. Walking away from the dark, dank chamber she swore to obey her liege…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
What's going on? Is my story boring? No reviews? Do I have to delete this? Still I must thank Caeli Et Terra for reviewing: Thanks for support! Really appreciate it! Suggestions, questions, comments, flames, anything! I want to know what and what not I'm doing right. I'm already halfway through… Conclusion will be up in like after the next 4 to 5 chapters. 


	5. Chapter 5: Innocence Dies

A|N:: I've decided to continue this fic. Why? Because I believe that no matter what the obstacle, the story must go on. So here it is.  
  
Dim by Light, Bright by Dark  
  
Chapter 5: Innocence Dies  
  
Watching the gloaming through the window, Yami reminisced. He stood still, his hands folded behind his back, his eyes glued to the view outside his window. His eyes glowed strangely as he watched the purple sky through violet eyes. Eventually, a single tear strayed from his eye as a recognizable voice echoed through his head.  
  
'Yami, are you alright?'  
  
A little boy around three sat on the floor with his hands over his eyes. He was crying as a boy of eight hovered around him in worry.  
  
'Yami, what's wrong?' That voice asked again.  
  
'Seto, I was trying to catch a moth and I tripped. I fell and scratched my knees.'  
  
'It's alright, Little Brother. Let me see your knees.'  
  
The little boy shifted, so that the scars on his knees were in clear view of the other boy. Seto tore a piece of cloth from the tunic he wore. Lightly he dabbed the blood, while Yami wailed in pain.  
  
'It's okay, now. Everything will be alright.'  
  
With his free hand, Seto gave a gentle pat on the little boy's head.   
  
"Pharaoh!" Yami stirred and turned to see who had called for him.  
  
"Forgive me, I did not mean to disturb you. But…" The young sorcerer paused to take a breather. Yami moved closer to him, putting his hands on the younger boy's shoulders. "What is it Razu?"  
  
Razu, a young sorcerer of about fifteen years of age, stared at the pharaoh with anxiety.   
  
"There is an Evil Sorcerer at the east side border. He threatens to burn everything to the ground if he doesn't see you soon."   
  
"Razu, why are you the one telling me this? Where is Ishizu?"  
  
"I do not know."   
  
"Find her!" Yami commanded. The boy bowed deeply and took off.  
  
Yami went in another direction and was immediately greeted by yet another one of his trustworthy followers. His name was Boro. Boro wore a mask over his face, but his voice was clearly shaking with fright.  
  
"My Pharaoh. I sent Razu for—"  
  
"And I got his message. The boy is nimble in mind and body. Do not blame him for anything."  
  
Boro nodded. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound that way."  
  
"It doesn't matter. I need to know who's behind this!"  
  
"They are the same sorcerers of Seto's, but this time they follow a new leader," Boro's voice came out a tremble.  
  
"What is his name?" Yami questioned urgently.  
  
"I do not know."  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
A young sorcerer with black eyes laughed loudly as he watched people scrambling away from him in fear. His ghostly, white hair, disheveled from being neglected. He wore a tattered robe like the other sorcerers who were exiled. And like the rest, black paint brimmed the edges of his eyes.  
  
"Hold it right there!" A voice boomed from behind him. The sorcerer stopped, both pupils twitching to the side of his eyes. He did not turn, though.  
  
"Who are you?" The voice growled.  
  
"Hmm. So we meet at last." Now the sorcerer turned to face the new arrival. "Things will be so much fun now that you are here…"  
  
"This is not a game!" It was Pharaoh Yami who shouted.  
  
"I don't have to play a game to have fun." The sorcerer said in a vicious snarl. "I can have fun with you around."  
  
"Who are you?!"  
  
"They call me Bakura," He raised his arms over his head. "And soon the ruler of the entire world!"  
  
Yami dug his feet deeper into the ground as he braced himself for Bakura's words.  
  
Bakura continues with malice distinct in his voice, "Seto was not strong enough. That weakling is now gone—say, what did you do to your own brother?"  
  
Yami scowled, saying something in the ancient tongue.  
  
"Bwahahahaha!" Bakura lowered his eyes and murmured, "Fool."  
  
Boro, coming up from behind Yami spoke up. "Pharaoh, let us destroy him together."  
  
"No! That is not justified!" Yami yelled in outrage without turning to Boro.  
  
"But, Yami he is destroying the kingdom! Is that justified?"  
  
"It makes me no better if I fall to his level."  
  
Boro ripped his mask off and yelled back at the pharaoh, "Are we going to play fair until nothing is left of the kingdom!!!???"   
  
"I shall play fair until there is nothing left of me!"  
  
"No, I will not allow it!" Boro turned to his colleagues. About half of Yami's group of followers stepped out to stand beside Boro.   
  
"Fine then!" Bakura shouted. Since you all agree, we will duel under my circumstances.  
  
Boro and many of the other sorcerers faded away as Bakura raised his arms.  
  
"No!" Yami shouted. "What have you done with them?"  
  
"Ah do not worry, Yami. They might come back if they defeat me. But if they don't… They will remain in the Shadow Realm for eternity!" Bakura disappeared as he said these final words.  
  
"Bakura, COME BACK!" Yami shouted at the spot where the sorcerer had stood. "Duel me, you coward! It is me that you want!"  
  
"Pharaoh, pharaoh, it is no use," came the sweet voice of the sorceress, Reika.   
  
"But…"  
  
"We must hope for their return, for now."  
  
"I always thought that Boro would… Listen to me…"  
  
Reika shook her head gravely. "Times are different, Pharaoh. And there is nothing we can do for them now." Her hand came up to cup the young pharaoh's shoulder gently. "But I sense something wrong back at the palace."  
  
Yami's head snapped back. "Why can't I sense it?!"  
  
"Stop wallowing in your grief! Have faith in those who follow you!"  
  
"Reika, you raise your voice at me?"  
  
"I told you times are different… Now let us go! Something is wrong at home."  
  
++++++++++++++++++++  
  
In the same dark, damp room, where the single door that took at least a dozen men to open stood, lifeless bodies lay on the ground. The door, wide open, let out a gloom that hungrily licked at the dead, like vultures of the dark. Unseen by anyone, the evil lurked, and known by everyone the fact was that, 'it was no use now.' The seven men that lay dead had died from raw fear. Their hearts had stopped while their eyes were still wide open in shock. One of these men in standard, might be considered a boy.   
  
The shuffling of feet for a moment drove this evil scene away. Robed people moved to the dead bodies to feel for pulses. And one, dressed more cleanly, fell beside the boy whose eyes were opened, but did not see. "Razu…" He murmured, as he gently raised the boy's head with his hands. It was no use. He was too late. What ever happened, he would not know.  
  
Reika crouched beside the Pharaoh who held the boy. She reached out, and without even touching Razu's face his eyelids slowly closed. All Reika did was shadow those shocked, terrified eyes. As Reika did this Yami's eyes strayed to the door. "The Gods," he barely finished. She looked up to follow the Pharaoh's gaze. "Who could have opened it?" She wondered out loud.  
  
A dark shadow, standing in the corner knew the answer. "One who is mad for power."  
  
The speaker stepped out of the darkness as if appearing from out of no where.  
  
All eyes turned to see who it was…   
  
  
  
'Ishizu?' 


	6. Chapter 6: Betrayed Thrice at a Price

Dim by Light, Bright by Dark

Chapter 6: Betrayed Thrice at a Price

At first, Ishizu the seer wavered like an apparition as she took slow steps toward the pharaoh who was still kneeling by the dead body of young Razu. Her eyes glowed with melancholy as her gaze fell upon the dead bodies.

Quietly her voice cracked as she spoke, "I'm sorry, my pharaoh. I wanted to tell you, but."

Yami stared up at her, anger penetrating his eyes. "I told you to tell me everything that is going on. Where have you been?"

Ishizu bowed her head in shame, "I'm sorry, I was with my brother."

"What does Marik have anything to do with this? Tell me!"

Ishizu flinched, dropping to her knees suddenly. "He's taken the Gods. He will summon them. I tried to stop him, but I failed."

"This was his intent all along, wasn't it?" Yami rose to his feet nimbly. "How long have you known?"

"For a long time now."

"Then, when did you plan on telling me?!"

            Ishizu shook violently as her spine twitched in fear, for she had never seen Yami so angry before. When Yami was angry he shouted constantly. But she has never seen him so angry that his voice would sound chilling and dark. She clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture, "I was hoping to save him, but I was wrong. Please forgive me."

"My men are dead and half of the country is burning, and you ask me to forgive you?" Yami questioned darkly, his eerie voice shaking the souls of everyone in the chamber.

"It is a lot to ask for, but."

"I trusted you, Ishizu, but you lied to me. You have ruined my faith in you, making you no better than Marik."

"Please forgive me." Ishizu's hair covered her face as she bowed her head lower.

"How dare you ask for forgiveness?" Yami brushed passed her, his head looking up towards the ceiling. In a more quiet tone he added, "I will give my soul before I trusted you with forgiveness, Seer." His leave, felt like a cold breeze slapping her hard across the face.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Yami strode out of the fortitude of his home, prepared to kill any evil sorcerer who dared touch any of his people. Reika followed close behind, panting, "Pharaoh where are you going? Let me come with you."

"No! Go back. Protect my home! I command you!"

Reika stopped following and turned around hesitantly. She knew that Yami was too reckless, which made himself a threat to his own life. She would have to follow him without him knowing.

Yami marched back to the place where Boro and half of his followers disappeared with Bakura. Unexpectedly, he caught Boro and the others standing on a hill, their shadows looming over the burning houses. "Boro!" Yami shouted gaily as he ran up towards them in relief. "I thought you had all failed, but you're alive! I'm so glad." As Yami reached the group he noticed something was missing. Something was out of place and he felt the cold touch of death stroke his shoulder. Something was not right. He walked closer up to Boro and touched the bigger man's shoulder briefly. "Boro," Yami breathed. Just as his fingers made soft contact with the body, it crumbled like decaying stone. To his horror, Yami watched as the rest of them crumbled, too. "No, no, no, no," he kept whispering to himself, "this cannot be happening." 

"You're right, it cannot be _happening _because it has already _happened_," said a familiar voice. Yami turned around cautiously, his eyes falling on Marik.

"Seriously, did you think those guys could beat me?" Asked a newer voice. Yami's eyes twitched and saw Bakura sitting leisurely on a boulder.

Marik glanced at his partner as he continued to speak, "As we speak, the gods are on the other side of the kingdom, doing the dirty work. We evil sorcerers will start all over, and new pharaohs shall reign."

Bakura nodded. "It won't be long."

Yami with tears streaming down his face shouted, "I will duel the both of you right now!"

"No!!!!!" A female voice echoed.

"Reika?"

"Young Pharaoh, let me take on Marik. You get the other who killed our friends."

"Friends?" Marik raised an eyebrow at his former colleague. Then turning towards Yami he laughed, "Is it true? Now, the sorcerers that stand beside the pharaoh, are his friends?"

Yami pointed a trembling finger at him, "Traitor, you shall pay!"

"Then it is agreed, Pharaoh," Marik smiled.

Before Yami could say anything more, a dark energy surrounded him and he fell forever into darkness. Along the way he felt death, hunger, rage, screams, and terror; all scrambled cryptograms of the Shadow Realm.

It's a snowy December, and here I am writing such a dark tale. Oh well… It's better than being out there again…

Please, review.

-MistyWing


	7. Chapter 7: Friendless Fighting in the Da...

Dim by Light, Bright by Dark  
  
Chapter 7: Friendless Fighting in the Dark  
  
"Where am I?" He looked around him for any signs of human life form, but only the blackness penetrated his eyes. "Is this a dream?" His voice reverberated wherever he was.  
  
A laugh caused him to start. A purple vortex appeared in front of him. Bakura stepped through the vortex, with a dark look in his eyes. "I say it is more like an eternal nightmare. Welcome to my home," Bakura shouted sarcastically.  
  
Yami jumped up and shouted, "Where have you brought me? Where is Marik? Where is Reika?"  
  
"You will see them... Maybe"  
  
"Let's duel!"  
  
Bakura waved his finger at him. "Patience, Pharaoh. I know you are itching to lose as quickly as possible, but first, I must describe the rules to this duel, for in the Shadow Realm the game is different."  
  
Bakura snapped his finger. A dark figure chained to a stone appeared behind the evil sorcerer. Yami stopped and felt his eyes throbbing with tears. Chained to the boulder, was Reika.  
  
Yami quivered, "What have you done?"  
  
"You can assume and believe that her duel with Marik ended in favor for the evil sorcerers."  
  
"So fast…"  
  
"Actually, you have been sleeping during her duel."  
  
Yami glared at him as Bakura spoke casually.  
  
"You tricked me."  
  
Bakura laughed again. "You will not stand against me here in the Shadow Realm. You, a boy, has never been dueling in the darkest place in space and time. And here, I write the rules. Your fate will be the same as your subordinates."  
  
"Enough talk, and let us begin!"  
  
"Rule number one: do not make me mad or I will swallow you up like the pea that you are. Rule number two: you may summon one monster at a time. Rule number three: you have five minutes to beat me. If you cannot beat me within the time limit, you will be stuck here for the rest of your life, fighting off the darkness—"  
  
"Bakura, stop wasting time!" Cried a new voice. Yami looked up and saw Marik's twisted head above all of them. "We have work to do!"  
  
Bakura shrugged. "And finally, I will not play by my own rules. And therefore, trap you here in the Shadow Realm with your dying friend."  
  
"You--"  
  
"Your ancestors were not fair. Why should I be?"  
  
Yami jumped at him, but Bakura had already disappeared. "Long live the Pharaoh," were his final words to Yami.  
  
Yami fell to his knees suddenly feeling the cold darkness taking over him.  
  
"Pharaoh, do not give up…"  
  
Yami crawled over to Reika, who had spoken. On his stomach, he reached and encircled her shin with his hand weakly.  
  
She whispered quietly, "There is still hope of escape for you. You must believe that you can and will beat them…"  
  
"Reika…"  
  
"I will give up the last of my power to you. Combine the last bit of my power with yours to summon the Dark Magician. Believe, and Dark Magician will save you."  
  
"But, that would mean you--"  
  
"Sacrifices must be made, young Pharaoh."  
  
Yami slowly stood up to touch her face. "You are noble… You are all noble… But I cannot stand losing another friend."  
  
"Maybe, but you must." Reika gasped and stared straight at Yami, her eyes, hazy with death. "Avenge me. Avenge us all. You must, to save those that are still alive."  
  
"Betrayed…" Yami murmured as he unchained Reika from her place. The young woman fell on him, and Yami supported her as best he can.  
  
"How am I still alive and strong?" Yami muttered.  
  
Reika with her eyes closed answered him, "Because, our friends are in spirit with us. Without them, we would not have gone so far."  
  
Yami looked at her with tears streaming down his face.  
  
Reika smiled gently at him, opening her eyes ever so slightly. "Now use the last of all our powers and summon Dark Magician one more time."  
  
Yami could feel her tense up and almost immediately fall limp in his arms. With her sacrifice and everyone else's he summoned Dark Magician.  
  
Dark Magician appeared immediately in front of the Pharaoh and stared at his master and the woman he still supported. "Master? I am here."  
  
The pharaoh grimaced. "Hurry, break down these walls."  
  
"As you wish." Dark Magician raised his staff and used his dark magic attack, but his attack only ricocheted against the wall.  
  
Dark Magician's eyes widened in confusion. "What is wrong?" Yami asked him.  
  
"It will not break."  
  
"No."  
  
"We are doomed."  
  
  
  
………… 


	8. Chapter 8: The End and the Beginning

Dim by Light, Bright by Dark  
  
Chapter 8: The End and the Beginning  
  
Hopelessness and darkness swallowed the pharaoh up. Dark Magician looked on at his master, his eyes stinging with tears. There was no way out and Dark Magician was fading as Yami grew weaker and weaker. The last thing Yami saw was the blurry and nearly transparent apparition of the Dark Magician crying for him before he fell into a deep sleep in which, he was not supposed to ever awaken again.  
  
Dark Magician knew that once the Pharaoh lost consciousness he would disappear completely until a new master summoned him again. Yet, instead of growing weaker Dark Magician felt his powers suddenly returning to him. Along with his strange powers, he saw that the Pharaoh was glowing. There was a golden edge around his entire body almost like a shield. It did not waver, it only grew brighter.  
  
"What's going on?" Dark Magician wondered.  
  
He looked up from Yami and noticed a Shadow up ahead. He tried to focus on the face, but it was completely hidden in Shadows.  
  
Shadow answered Dark Magician in his smooth, mellow voice. "The glow you see is Yami's life force. As it pulses, you are regaining your strength."   
  
The Shadow moved so quickly across the floor, Dark Magician had to only blink once before he saw Shadow hovering over his master.  
  
"Stay back!" Dark Magician shouted. He brought his staff up, ready to attack. Just as he did so though, Shadow raised his hand up stopping all movement from Dark Magician. Dark Magician looked at him in wonder.  
  
Slowly, Shadow brought his hand over Dark Magician's eyes. And before Dark Magician could say anything more, his image crumbled into pieces. He would have to wait many millennia before Pharaoh Yami would summon him once again.  
  
Slowly, Yami opened his eyes. Was that all a dream or was it very real and now he was dead because of it? He looked around him. He was lying safely in his bed chamber. Since he was glancing about so quickly, he had missed the person standing in the shadows. Yami slowly got up and moved his legs over the bed. Shadow watched his hunched form in the dark. Only he saw the fire that glowed around the Pharaoh stronger than ever.  
  
"It is time," Shadow spoke.  
  
Yami's head snapped up. He stood and quickly turned around to look for the source of the voice. "Who was that?!" He demanded, still not seeing anyone or recognizing the voice that had spoken. When there was no answer he walked around the bed to be in full view of Shadow.  
  
Shadow stepped out from hiding and gave three respectful bows on his knees to the Pharaoh. Yami looked at him strangely, not because of his reverence since a pharaoh was used to it, but because of the look on his face. He had blue eyes and a dark, pleasant face, one that showed no signs of evil. But then again such faces had fooled him, the Pharaoh, before and led to the destruction of his kingdom. He looked over his shoulder, out the window as Shadi remained on his knees. There was still fire and destruction. Further on, Yami saw the shadows of the Gods.   
  
"It is very real, My Pharaoh," Shadi told him, reading his thoughts by interpreting his actions.  
  
Once again Yami turned to face him demanding for his name a second time.  
  
"I am Shadi," he answered, bowing again before rising to his feet.  
  
"How did you get in here? There are guards all over this place. There is no way you got around them."  
  
"There is no one left, but you and me."  
  
Yami's eyes widened in horror.  
  
"Your home has fallen. I am sustaining this room with my magic as all else crumbles around us."  
  
"No." Yami whispered, his eyes throbbing with tears.  
  
"Look," Shadi said, directing his finger towards the window. His eyes hardened. "Look and see if I'm lying."   
  
Yami looked. Shadi was not lying. The room was on top of the broken stones of the greatest pyramid, in all of Egypt. What held the room from sliding off the hill of rubble and what held it from crumbling away like the rest, was a silver outline that Shadi had conjured up to protect them both from outsiders.  
  
"We have little time," Shadi said as the Pharaoh turned back to him.  
  
Yami watched him open a portal. It swirled with silver and grey, just like the magic that held the room up. "We must hurry before the magic runs out."  
  
Yami was hesitant, but then he felt a force push him into the hole. Shadi's magic was powerful and it frightened the Pharaoh that Shadi could so easily control it. Shadi followed the Pharaoh down after him. Both landed lightly in a dank hall, completely enveloped in darkness.  
  
Yami quickly turned to look at Shadi in incredulity, who had lit a torch for light.  
  
Without looking up at the Pharaoh, Shadi answered the question in the Pharaoh's mind. "I have lived very long mastering my powers. I have been alive since the first pharaoh ruled Egypt."  
  
Shadi quickly led Yami through the darkness.  
  
"They are far away from Egypt, now. Soon the whole Earth will be destroyed if we do not hurry," Shadi said submissively.  
  
"Then, what can we do?!" Yami shouted.  
  
"There is only one way left. And it is up to you," Shadi replied.  
  
They both looked up at the same time when they saw a light looming up ahead. It grew brighter and larger the closer they drew near it. And soon they were inside an empty, cavern. Inside, torches that circled the entire cavern lit the whole place up, revealing the stones of the walls, evenly carved and evenly fitted.   
  
"You must recognize the work of your ancestors," Shadi said with a weak smile.  
  
That was the first time Yami saw him smile and it made him wonder. Just maybe the Pharaoh could trust him.  
  
Without waiting for a reply from Yami, Shadi moved toward the center of the room where a few stairs led atop a stone plaque. It was crudely made square shaped, but still it was about five feet in width and length.  
  
They climbed the few steps up the dais where the plaque lay on a stone pedestal. Immediately Yami's first reaction was once again of awe. He gasped when his eyes caught a look at the items wedded into the stone.   
  
"They are the Millennium Items. Each made by one of the Pharaohs of each Egyptian Dynasty," Shadi said.  
  
"What do they do?"  
  
"They preserve the spirit and magic of a sorcerer, like yourself, My Pharaoh."  
  
"Why are you showing me this?"  
  
"Because it is time for you to decide the fate of this world today and if you are willing to save the fate of the world in the future."  
  
"You speak in riddles. How am I supposed to understand you?" Yami asked furiously.  
  
When Yami didn't hear an answer. He looked up at Shadi, who was studying him intently.  
  
"Well, what do you see in me?" Yami asked him.  
  
"You are powerful for someone your age. I believe in you."  
  
Yami looked at the Millennium Items one by one. The Millennium Scale, Millennium Key, Millennium Ring, Millennium Eye, Millennium Necklace, and lastly the Millennium Rod.  
  
In total there were six millennium items from six dynasties. But, where was the Millennium item of the seventh dynasty. Yami thought his father might have been the one to create the seventh Millennium Item.  
  
Yami touched the center of the plaque where he believed that the seventh Millennium Item should be. When his finger tips touched the cold stone, a light suddenly flashed right before his eyes.  
  
What he saw in the golden light was a black eye, its pupil glowing more brilliant than the golden light. The surrounding light came together like puzzle pieces. Physically, Yami felt a chain come around his neck and something hard rest on his chest. The light vanished and he saw Shadi waiting and looking at him calmly.   
  
"What happened?" Yami asked breathlessly.  
  
"You have just created the seventh Millennium Item."  
  
Yami looked at the pyramid shaped item around his neck. There were little jagged cracks in them that made it look like it was made with different-shaped pieces, unlike how pyramids were built in Egypt, rectangular bricks stacked up evenly.   
  
"It's a puzzle," Yami stated bluntly.  
  
"The Millennium Puzzle," Shadi added.  
  
Yami smiled as he held the item in between his two hands.  
  
"And look, Yami. There is the same eye on your Millennium Puzzle imprinted in every other item."  
  
He was right. Before, the Millennium Items were just plain items that could have passed for anything, but now that they were about to be used, they were marked with the eye that the puzzle had. There was also a mold for the Millennium Puzzle in the center of the plaque, where Yami had touched its cold surface.  
  
"There is still no hope of saving Egypt, though…" Yami sighed in defeat.  
  
"Yes, but there is hope in saving the world. However, it is your choice to make."  
  
"How?" Yami asked. "They're gods."  
  
"You must sacrifice this life by transferring your spirit to your Millennium Item. By sacrificing your spirit you also activate the magic of all the Millennium Items that will help seal the Gods. However once you have activated that magic to seal the Gods it is also required that you transfer six spirits to each item."  
  
"Six spirits?"  
  
"These six spirits will live in the six items before they are to be reawakened by the users in the future. Fate will decide who will come along with you."  
  
"Even I will be in some other human's body."  
  
"Yes." Suddenly Shadi's expression turned grimmer if it were possible. "But you will remember nothing of this past once you reawaken in someone else's body. Only your spirit will be preserved."  
  
Shadi stopped speaking when the Earth suddenly started to rumble. Once the floor stilled again Shadi said, "To activate the Millennium puzzle you must put it in the mold of the stone. It will fit perfectly. Go on!"  
  
Yami was about to stick it into the center of the plaque, but stopped. "How can I trust that you are not lying to me? I have been betrayed so many times by my closest followers. How could you, a stranger, be trusted?"  
  
"I don't know, Yami. You will just have to trust your heart." He paused again as the Earth shook them a second time. "This temple will bury us if you do not do this now."  
  
Yami took a deep breath and murmured, "Trust in myself." He slammed the Millennium Puzzle into the mold that he had created in the plaque and watched as it shattered to pieces.   
  
Yami looked up at Shadi as if it were the last time he would ever see him again.  
  
"Do not worry, My Pharaoh. We shall meet again," Shadi promised.  
  
Yami watched his own spirit move out of his own body. Shadi caught his empty vessel, as Yami's spirit flew around the temple for what, Yami thought, would be his last time. Then, he flew downward, head first toward the dais and resided in the eye of the Millennium Puzzle.  
  
Shadi watched all this. Once Yami's spirit disappeared, so did his body that he held in his arms on the floor. Shadi smiled a secret smile and got up from his place. He looked over the Millennium Items and noticed the Millennium Key still glowing.  
  
"I will be the guardian of the Millennium Items before the day comes." Shadi reached over for the Millennium Key. Once he touched it, the light of all the Millennium Items illuminated the Temple. Through the tunnel the light flowed and escaped to the Earth, spreading its light on everything dead. The greenest grass grew again. And the sun glowed brighter than it ever had before.   
  
=  
  
This is the last chapter. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it. It hurts to see that no one really reviewed this story. -- But oh well. I had fun writing it. I always wanted to write my own version of a Pharaoh Yami and Sorcerer Seto story. It was kind of interesting, watching my mind unfold with this idea. Hehe.   
  
Have a nice day and thanks for reading,  
  
-MistyWing 


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